Air-circulating device



N. J; CAVAGNARO." AIR CIRCULATING DEVlCE. APPLICATION HLED JULY 19\8.

Patented June 3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET L 5 me/wfm Max/01 15 J 6'4V44M4e0 3&1 h43 Sum/M J N. J. CAVAGNARO. AIR CIRCULAHNG DEVICE. APPLICATION FILED JULY 191s.

Patented June-3, 1919.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

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'ifiiii hl AES PATENT OFFICE.

NICHOLAS J. CAVAGNARG, OF UNION COURSE, YORK, ASSIGNOR T0 CEVASCO,

CAVAGNARO & AMBRETTE, INC., A

CORPORATION OF NEW YORK.

AIR-CIRCULATING DEVICE.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented June 3, 1919.

Application filed July 1, 1918. Serial N 0. 242,879.

To all whom it may concern: 7

Be it known that I, NICHOLAS J. CAVAG- NARO, a citizen of the United States, residing at Union Course, I. 1., in the county of Queens and State of New York, have in vented certain new and useful Improvements in Air-Circulating Devices; and I do hereby declare the following to be a full, clear, and exact description of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in theart to which it appertains' to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, and to characters of reference marked thereon, which form a part of this specification.

The present inventionhas reference, generally, to improvements in air circulating devices for drying rooms and drying apiaratus; and the invention relates, more particularly, to a novel construction of air circulating fans and mounting therefor, which is adapted for use in drying macaroni, spaghetti and alimentary paste products, and also for air drying and dehydrating fruits, vegetables and the like, and for many other kindred uses. 7

The invention has for its principal object to provide a simple, easily driven, and compact construction of air circulating device, which is adapted to produce reciprocatory or pulsating air currents, so that all sides of the material submitted to the influence of said air currents will be directly reached thereby; the change of direction of the air currentsproduced by the device being automatically accomplished by the operation of the device, without necessity of manual manipulation or mechanical reversing devices.

Other objects of the present invention, not at this time more particularly enumerated, will be clearly understood from the following detailed description of the same.

With the various objects of the present invention in view, the same consists, primarily, in the novel construction of the air circulating device hereinafter set forth; and, the invention consists, furthermore, in the novel arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, as well as in the details of the construction of the same, all of which will be hereinafter more fully described, and. then finally embodied in the claims appended hereto. r

The invention is clearly illustrated in the accompanying drawings, .in which Figure 1 is afront elevation of the novel air clrculating device made according to and embodying the principles of my present invention. A V

F ig. 2 is a side elevation of the same, portions of the supporting frame work being broken away to show the driving belt in uninterrupted elevation.

Fig. 3 is a top or plan view of the same. Fig. 4 is a detail longitudinal vertical section through a portion of the mounting'and transmission mechanism ofrthe device, said view being drawn on an enlarged scale.

Similar characters of reference are employed in all of the hereinabove described views, to indicate corresponding parts.

Referring now to the said drawings, the reference character 1 indicates a suitably constructed supporting frame Work or pedestal upon which the mechanism is mounted. Fixed upon the top of said frame work or pedestal is a bearing in said bearing block 2, so as to be capable of rotation therein, is a bushing or sleeve 3., provided adjacent to its outer end with a stop shoulder 4, beyond which are arranged a pair of oppositely and transversely extending socket members 5. Secured upon the inner end of said bushing or sleeve 3 is a collar 6,'which prevents displacement of the former from said bearing block 2. Fixed in said socket members 5 are oppositely extending lateral arms 7. Connected with the outer free end ofeach arm 7 is a suitable end member 8, from which projects a forwardly extending stud shaft 9. Rotatably mounted upon the stud shaft 9 of one arm 7 is a fan hub 10 provided with pulley portion 11, and connected with said fan hub 10 are a plurality of radiating 'arms' 12 upon which are fixed fan blades 18 adapted, upon proper rotation, to drive the air in forwardly propelled streams or currents. Rotatably mounted upon the stud shaft 9 of the opposite arm 7 is a fan hub 14.- provided with a pulley portion 15, and connected with said block 2. Journaled otherwise fixed on the forwardly projecting end of said transmission shaft 18 is a driven pulley 19. Slidably mounted on each arm 7 is an adjustable slide block 20, which may be fixed in desired adjusted position by means of a set-screw 21, or any other equivalent locking means. Each slide block'20 is provided with a forwardly extending stud 22, upon which is rotatably mounted an idler pulley 23. Said driven pulley 19 serves to drive in turn said respective fan devices above described, and to this end a transmission belt 24 is provided, which extends over said pulley 19 and under said idler pulleys 23, thence over said pulley portion 11 of one fan device back across the under side of said pulley 19, and thence over said pulley portion 15 of theother fan device, thus rotating each fan device in the same direction.

Arranged by means of a key 25 upon the rearwardly projecting end of said transmission shaft18, so as to rotate with the latter and yet be capable of longitudinal movement thereon, is a driving pulley 26, over which runs a driving belt 27, which is in turn driven by an electric motor 28, or from any other suitable source of power.

In order to cause the revolution of the arms 7 carrying the rotating fan devices about the axis of the bushing or sleeve 3 there is provided a pressure spring device 29,

- the lower end of which is suitably anchored or secured to the frame-work or pedestal 1, so that its upper free end may extend upwardly in the rear of said driving pulley 26. The said free end of said spring device 29 is forked or bifurcated to straddle said transmission shaft 18, and by engagement with the hub 30 of said pulley 26, is adapted to thrust the latter forwardly upon the shaft to carry the opposite end of said hub 30 into frictional engagement with the adjacent end of said bushing or sleeve 3, so that the rotation of said pulley 26 tends, through said frictional contact, to slowly rotate said bushing or sleeve 3, and consequently slowly re volve said arms 7 and the rotating fan devices carried by the latter. The degree or intensity of the friction thus engendered between the pulley 26 and bushing or sleeve 3, will determine the speed of revolution of the arms Tand fan devices, and the degree or intensity of the friction may be more or less regulated by increasing or decreasing the tension of the spring device 29, and thereby increasing or decreasing the pressure thereof upon the pulley 26.' To this end a tension regulating device is provided, which comprises a suitable base-piece 31 secured to said supporting frame work or pedestal 1, and provided with a rearwardly extending threaded shank 32, which extends through an opening 33 in said spring device, and upon the free end of which is threaded an adjusting nut 34 having the finger pieces 35, or other equivalent means for manipulating the same. As will be clearly evident by setting up the adjusting nut in more or less tightly against the spring device, the latter may be pressed with greater or less tension against the end of the hub 30 of said pulley 26., If desired a metallic washer 36 may be interposed between the hub 30 and the spring device 29, the washer or other equivalent means being of a nature adapted to reduce friction.

Also if desired a friction element 37 may be interposed between the hub 30 and the end of the bushing or sleeve 3, the same being of a material and nature adapted to increase friction by its mutual engagement with said hub and bushing or sleeve.

The air circulating device thus above de scribed is adapted to be mounted within drying rooms or passages, wherein it is desired to submit the material to be dried to the effects of circulating air currents. For example, in drying macaroni, sphagetti, or similar alimentary paste products it is desirable to secure the drying by the evaporating effects of air currents. To this end the alimentary paste is hung or supported on open racks in the interior of a drying room, and air is caused to be circulated within said room and in contact with the alimentary paste. If the air current moves in one direction only, the tendency is to dry that portion of the product directly facing or ex posed to the air current faster than the remaining or hinder portions, consequently the unequal drying may result in warping, surface cracking, or breakage of the product, with consequent waste and loss. If the air current direction is changed with regularity a large part of such waste and loss may be prevented, but with ordinary air circulating devices and fans, this requires stopping the same and then starting the same in a reverse direction, either by mechanical means, or by the manual manipulation of an attendant. Vith my novel circulating device, I secure, automatically, a regular timed reversal of air current direction successively through the entire cross area of the drying room served by my device. The reason for this is that one fan device has its blades set to drive or propel the air in one direction, while the other fan device has its blades set to drive or propel the air in the opposite direction, and since each rotating fan device is revolved about a common axis or center, it follows that they successively replace each other in and serve any given area, and consequently the direction of the air current in that area is intermittently reversed, so that the air is propelled directly against both forward and hinder surfaces of the product supported adjacent to the device and within its sphere of influence. In other words, with the employment of my novel air circulating device, I can produce what may be termed pulsating or reciprocatory air currents, the same being produced with timed regularity, or at intermittent intervals, dependent only upon the speed of revolution of the rotating fan devices, which governs the interval of time it takes for one fan device to replace another in any given area.

I am aware that some changes may be made in the arrangements and combinations of the various devices and parts, well as in the details of the construction of the same, without departing from the scope of my present invention as set forth in the foregoing specification and as defined in the appended claims. Hence, I do not limit my invention to the exact arrangements and combinations of the various parts as described in said specification, nor do I confine myself to the exact details of the construction of the said parts as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

1. In an air circulating device, a pedestal,

a bearing member supported by said pedestal, a rotary bushing journaled in said bearing member, transverse oppositely extending arms connected with the forward end of said bushing, a rotary fan device supported at the end of each of said arms, a driving shaft journaled in said bushing, a transmission pulley on the forward end of said shaft, a transmission belt driven by said transmission pulley in driving relation to said rotary fan devices, means for rotating said shaft, and means for imparting a revolving movement to said bushing and its arms.

2. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, a bearing member supported by said pedestal, a rotary bushing journaled in said bearing member, transverse oppositely extending arms connected with the forward end of said bushing, a rotary fan device supported at the end of each of said arms, one fan device being arranged to propel air in one direction, the other fan device being arranged to propel air in the opposite direction, a driving shaft journaled in said bushing, a transmission pulley on the forward end of said shaft, a transmission belt driven by said transmission pulley in driving relation to said rotary fan devices, means for rotating said shaft, and means for imparting a re volving movement to said bushing and its arms.

3. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, a bearing member supported by said pedestal, a rotary bushing journaled in said bearing member, tra sverse oppositely extending arms connected with the forward end of said bushing, a rotary fan device supported at the end of each of said arms, one fan device being arranged to propel air in one direction, the other fan device being arranged to propel air in the opposite direction, a

driving shaft journaled in said bushing, a transmission pulley on the forward end of said shaft, a transmission belt driven by said transmission pulley in driving relation to said rotary fan devices, idler pulleys over which said transmission belt runs,'means sliclable on said arms for supporting said idler pulleyscapable of being fixed thereon in desired adjusted position, means for rotating said shaft, and means for imparting a revolving movement to said bushing and its arms. 7

4c. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, a bearing member supported by said pedestal, a bushing journaled to rotate in said bearing men'iber, oppositely extending lateral arms connected with the forward end of said bushing, a rotary fan device supported at the end of each'arm, a driving shaft journaled in said bushing, transmission means driven by said shaft for rotating said fan devices, a driving pulley keyed on the rearward end of said shaft, and means for moving said driving pulley into frictional engagement with the end of said bushing to revolve the same and said fan devices supported by said lateral arms.

5. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, a bearing member supported by said pedestal, a bushing bearing member, oppositely extending lateral arms connected with the forward end of said bushing, a rotary fan device supported at the end of each arm, a driving shaft journaled in said bushing, transmission means driven by said shaft for rotatingsaid fan devices, driving pulley keyed 011 the rearward end of said shaft, and means for moving said driving pulley into frictional engagement with the end of said bushing to revolve the same and said fan devices supported by said lateral arms, comprising a pressure spring device adapted to press said pulley toward said bushing, and means for regulating the tension of said spring device.

6. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, bearing member supported by said pedestal, a bushing journaled to rotate in said bearing member, oppositely extending lateral arms connected with the forward end of said bushing, forwardly projecting stud shafts fixed to the outer ends of said lateral arms, a rotary fan device having a belt pulley rotatably mounted on each stud shaft, one of said fan devices having its blades set to propel air in one direction, the other of said fan devices having its blades set to propel air in the opposite direction, a driving shaft journaled in said bushing, a transmission pulley on the forward end of said driving shaft, a transmission belt driven by said transmission pulley and running over the driving pulleys of said respective fan devices, means for rotating said driving shaft, and means for imparting a rotary movement journaled to rotate in said to said bushing to revolve said'lateral armsand the fan devices carried thereby.

7. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, a bearing member supported by said pedestal, a bushing journaled to rotate in said bearing member, oppositely extending lat eral arms connected with the forward end of said bushing, forwardly projecting stud shafts fixed to the outer ends of said lateral arms, a rotary fan device having a beltpulley rotatably mounted on each stud shaft, one of said fan devices having its'blades; set to propel air in onedirection, theother of said fan devices having its blades set to propel air in the opposite direction, a driving shaft journaled in said bushing, atransmission pulley on theforward. end of said driving shaft, a transmission belt driven by said transmission pulley and running over.

the driving pulleys of said respective fan devices, a driving pulley keyed onthe rear-r ward end of, said driving shaft, and means for moving said driving pulley into frictiona-l engagement with the end of said-bush: ing to revolve the same and saidfan devices supported by said lateral-arms.

8. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, a bearing member supported by said pedestal, a bushing journaled tovrotate in said bearing member, oppositely extending lateral arms connected with theforward, end of said bushing, forwardly projectingistud shafts fixed to the outer ends of said lateral arms, a rotary fan device having a belt, pul ley rotatably mounted on each stud. shaft, one of said fan devices having itsbladesset to propel air in one direction, the other of said fan devices having its, blades set to propel air in the opposite direction, a driving shaft journaled in saidbushing, a transmission pulley on the forward end of said driving shaft, a transmission belt drivenby said transmission pulley and running over the driving pulleys of said respective fan devices, a driving pulley keyed on the rearward end of said driving shaft, and means for moving said driving pulley into frictional engagement with the end; of said bushing to revolve the same and said fan devices supported by said lateral arms, comprising a pressure spring device adapted to press said pulley toward said bushing, and means for regulating the tension of said spring device.

9. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, a bearing member supported by saidpedestal, a bushing journaled to rotate in said bearing member, oppositely eXtending l-ateral arms connected with the forward end Copies of tliis patent may be obtained for of said bushing, forwardly projecting stud shafts, fixed to the outer ends of said lateral arms, a. rotary fan device having a belt pulley rotatably mounted on each stud shaft, one of said fan devices having, its blades set to propel air in one direction, the other of said fan devices, having its blades set to propel air in the opposite direction, a driving shaft journaled in said bushing, a transmission pulley. on the forward end of said driving shaft, a transmissionbelt driven by said transmission pulley and running over the. driving pulleys. of said respective fan devices, idler pulley devices adjustable on said lateral arms for tightening said trans mission belt, a driving. pulley keyed on the rearward. end; of. said driving shaft, and means, for moving) said driving pulley into frictional engagement with the end of said bushing. torevolvethe same and said fan devices supported by said lateral arms.

10. In an air circulating device, a pedestal, a bearing member supported by said pedestah a bushing journaled to rotate in said bearing member, oppositely extending lateral armsconnectedwith the forward end ofsaid; bushing, forwardly projecting, stud shafts. fixed-to the outer ends of said lateral arms, a.rotary fandevice havinga belt pulley rotatably mounted on each stud shaft, oneofi saidfan devices having itsblades set to propel air-in one direction, the other of said fan, devices having its blades set to propelair inthe opposite direction, a drivingshaftjournaledin said bushing, a transmission pulley, ontth e forward end of said driving shaft, atransmission beltdriven by said transmissionpulley and running over the driving pulleys. of said respective fan devices, idler pulley devices adjustable on saidlater; l-arms for tightening said transmission belt, adriving pulley keyed on the rearward end of said driving shaft, and

means for; moving said driving pulley into frictionalengagement with the end of said bushing torevolve the same and said fan devices'supported by said lateral arms, comprising a pressure spring device adapted to press said pulley. toward said bushing, and means for; regulating the tension of said spring device. I

Intestimony, that I claim the invention setv forth above I have hereunto set my hand this 28th day of June, 1918.

NICHOLAS J. CAVAGNARO.

Witnesses:

GEORGE D. RIoHARos, AnoLrH HENSEN.

Washington, D, 0. 

